Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
From the earliest years of the Church, before people were baptized, they were given instruction in the faith, and when they were baptized, they made a profession of faith. Summaries of the faith were needed for these candidates for baptism. Great care was taken in gathering together the most important elements of our faith for these summaries or syntheses of our faith. (See Catechism §185-195) We often call a summary of our faith a “creed” from the Latin credo which means “I believe.” The various creeds express our belief in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Different creeds developed at different stages in the history of the Church to respond to the needs of that time. The two most important ones are the ones we use on Sundays: the shorter one called The Apostles’ Creed and the longer one called the Nicene Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is a summary of the faith of the apostles, and it was the creed of the Roman Church. It contains twelve articles or statements of our faith: one article on belief in God; six articles on Jesus; and five more articles. It is a beautiful summary of our faith.
Unfortunately as the years went by, some people began to say things about Jesus that were not accurate. In other words, heresies arose. A heretical priest called Arius said there was a time when Jesus was not, in other words, that Jesus was created. We know from John’s Gospel that this is not true. John’s Gospel begins
In the beginning was
the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
Before Jesus took flesh in the womb of Mary, he was always in heaven with the Father. John used the same type or concept of thinking as wisdom in our first reading (Prov 8:22-31) being present with God from the beginning. There never was a time when Jesus was not.
To counteract Arius and his followers, a new creed was needed that had more refinement to answer questions about Jesus and address heresies. The bishops gathered in a council at Nicaea, in what we now call Turkey, in AD 325 and stated that Jesus is “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” Jesus was not created and is of the same substance as the Father. Whatever type of God the Father is, Jesus is the same type of God. The Father is God and Jesus is God. Yet, the Father is always Father and Jesus is always Son. That is the mystery of the Trinity. So, the bishops at Nicaea formed a new creed, more refined than The Apostles’ Creed. It is an earlier form of the longer creed we pray on Sundays. The council of Nicaea was in AD 325 so this year is the 1700th anniversary, and we expect Pope Leo to go to Turkey in November to commemorate its anniversary.
However some people were still causing confusion after the council of Nicaea and so the bishops gathered at a second council in AD 381, this time in Constantinople, and added further refinement to the creed, that Jesus was
the Only Begotten Son
of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father.
Jesus is from the Father but is God. The Father is God and Jesus is God. Yet, the Father is always Father and Jesus is always Son. The bishops in Constantinople also added statements to clarify about the Holy Spirit:
I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father
and the Son.
So, like Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit also comes from the Father (through Jesus). Even though that was a revision of the earlier creed in Nicaea, it is still usually called the Nicene Creed because it is confirming the Nicene Creed. (Officially, it’s the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.) The explanation and clarification of the nature of God as Trinity at these councils was clarifying what is already in Scripture, in the New Testament. Perhaps we could say the teaching on the Trinity is in a less mature form in the New Testament and reached a climax and mature form in these councils in the fourth century. In today’s Gospel, Jesus said,
I have much more to
tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the
Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth. (John 16:12-13)
In the fourth century, the Holy Spirit led the bishops to the truth of God as Trinity. The Trinity will always be a mystery to us, but we want to understand as best we can so that we do not have heretical viewpoints.
When we celebrate Christmas or Easter, we are celebrating what God did for us, revealing himself to us and saving us. But today as we celebrate the Trinity, we celebrate who God is, the essence of God, and mystery that God is to us. We could summarize the mystery of the Trinity with some words from St. Augustine:
The Father is God.
Jesus is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
There is only one God.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2025
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
God rich in mercy, Redeemer of man, Giver of life 2024
Year A: The Holy Trinity rescuing us 2023
We are drawn into the love at the heart of the Trinity
Year B: The Most Holy Trinity: God wants the best for us 2021
We belong to the Holy Trinity since baptism
Year C: Father who sought me, Son who bought me, Spirit who taught me